"...
It is a distinguish network of activists, spiritual leaders and academics, mainly Buddhists of all sects, at international level that addresses the social issue and commits the social services based on spirituality with collaboration from non-Buddhist fellows. INEB members conduct the activities in variety of issues to serve their own community on decentralization basis. But the members are supportive of one another. The secretariat office will maintain flow of information and support by offering a program to fortify members' capacity and organizing joint activities.
Issues of Interest:
INEB has firm confidence in compassion, non-violence and co-existence as revealed by The Buddha. Confrontation with suffering, analysis and actions to put out suffering, particularly in the modern world context is the core mission. The issues of interest revolve around integration of spirituality and social activities. Issues that INEB emphasized included peace reconciliation, ecology, women issue and empowerment, health, education, human rights, community building, alternative development, role of spiritual leaders in modern world context, etc..."

A rich mine of docs, including archives of Journal of Buddhist Ethics and on engaged Buddhism and Buddhism and human rights......
"The Journal of Buddhist Ethics is the first academic journal dedicated entirely to Buddhist ethics. We promote the study of Buddhist ethics through the publication of research and book reviews and by hosting occasional online conferences. Our subject matter includes:
* Vinaya and Jurisprudence
* Medical Ethics
* Philosophical Ethics
* Human Rights
* Ethics and Psychology
* Ecology and the Environment
* Social and Political Philosophy
* Cross-cultural Ethics
* Ethics and Anthropology
* Interfaith Dialogue on Ethics
....."

"In thousands of villages, Sarvodaya has
fostered the development of a society in
which peace permeates through all
levels of the society -- starting at the
individual and village level. While
sometimes criticized for its qualitative
mode of operation, it is precisely such a
deeply grounded approach that can
prove most effective in breaking the
cycle of violence.
"This study found that
the project has had
considerable impact on peace building and
prevention of conflict..." "Sarvodaya News; Sarvodaya Initiative for Peace; Endowment Fund; Sarvodaya USA Partnership Projects; Sarvodaya Overview ;Sarvodaya Philosophy; The Sarvodaya Library; Related Links; Virtual Shramadana Camp. LOts of material on the site.

"Buddhist" Intellectual Practice Tools for Integrating
Spirituality & Social Change Work.
"Think Sangha is a socially engaged Buddhist think tank affiliated with the Buddhist Peace
Fellowship (BPF) and the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB). We use a
Buddhist sangha model to explore pressing social issues and concerns. The group's
methodology is one based in friendship and Buddhist practice as much as theory and
thought. The Think Sangha's core activities are networking with other thinker-activists,
producing Buddhist critiques of social structures and alternative social models, and
providing materials and resource persons for trainings, conferences, and research on social
issues and grassroots activism..."
"NEW! For the first time the entire contents of this 1997 publication are available here on-line"

"A sense of bewilderment is often apparent when news of violence appears with regard to Sri Lanka and Burma. The incredulity could be summarized in two ways. For the Asian Buddhist the idea is dismissed that the teachings of the Buddha could ever lead to hostility. âBuddhismâ is airbrushed from the scenes of violence and in its place the only thing seen is the threat to the nation, a threat to the culture and a threBuddhismat to the religion.
For the Western observer there is the idea that those committing these acts are not ârealâ Buddhists. The original teachings have mingled with culture to such an extent as to become unrecognizable â dig beneath the culture, to the text, and there the ârealâ message of the Buddha will be found. For the West (and I use the term âWestâ not in a geographic sense but to imply those societies irrevocably influenced by modernity), Buddhism has to be separated from its cultural environment. This is out of necessity â for it is assumed that Buddhism is not a âreligionâ at all. It is a pristine âotherâ, standing alone and somewhat aloof from the messiness of the masses. The notion that Buddhism is not a âreligion is often a shared idea of the modern West and modern Asia..."

"...The Pali Canon has a very strong and unequivocal teaching that mental attachment is extremely
detrimental – a biased view which asserts that people achieve freedom from suffering in any way other
than their conduct is a distorted and perverted view. It is a mental attitude that leads to a very
detrimental rebirth, and to pain and unhappiness in this life. It can be stated then with some certainty
that in the Pali Canon there is a very strong teaching that any form of discourse that proposes a racist
opinion is a wrong view, it will lead to suffering and, indeed, is dukkha itself.
Those holding such opinions will not only suffer in the future but are themselves an expression of
mental turmoil while holding such views. They are immersed in dukkha not metta."

Abstract
In this article, I hope to suggest (1) a fertile ground for human rights and social ethics within Japanese intellec-tual history and (2) a possible angle for connecting DÅgenâs ethical views with his views on private religious practice. I begin with a review of the attempts to found the notion of rights within Buddhism. I focus on two well-argued attempts: Damien Keownâs foundation of rights on the Four Noble Truths and individual soteriology and Jay Garfieldâs foundation of rights on the compassionate drive to liberate others. I then fuse these two approaches in a single concept: Buddha-nature. I analyze DÅgenâs own view on the practice-realization of Buddha-nature, and the equation of Buddha-nature with being, time, empti-ness, and impermanence. I end with tentative suggestions concerning how DÅgenâs particular view on Buddha-nature might affect any social ethics or view of rights that is founded on it.

Burmese monks in Sri Lanka find that their local counterparts wield far more power than they could ever imagine having in their homeland...
"For centuries, Burmese monks have been traveling to Sri Lanka, both to study the Buddha’s teachings and to help their Sinhalese brethren restore the monastic order on the island after periods of foreign domination.
Burmese monks walk along Galle Face Green, a promenade near Colombo’s city center. (PhotO: NEIL LAWRENCE/THE IRRAWADDY)
These days, however, it is the Burmese monks who are more likely to feel under siege. Since the crackdown on the Saffron Revolution in 2007, the Burmese regime has imposed ever more stringent restrictions on monks seeking to further their studies abroad—reinforcing their sense that despite their revered status as religious leaders, they are increasingly regarded as second-class citizens.
For those who do make it to Sri Lanka—according to one Burmese embassy official in Colombo, there are some 250 Burmese monks now living in the country—this sense is deepened by the contrast with what they see in the society around them..."

Do Burmese people really understand the meaning of compassion? Not according to a prominent Buddhist monk who has taken a leading role in Cyclone Nargis relief efforts...
MAE SOT, Thailand — "“HOW did you feel when you heard that people were homeless, that monks had lost their monasteries and had nowhere to stay? Over 130,000 people were killed and 2.4 million suffered badly. How did you feel?”
The monk who asked these questions paused and looked at his audience of around 3,000 people at the Tawya Burmese monastery in the Thai border town of Mae Sot, opposite Myawaddy.
A patient is comforted by Sitagu Sayadaw in a clinic in the Irrawaddy delta.
He continued: “If you felt concerned and afraid for them, that’s good. It means you have compassion.”
But before anyone could take too much satisfaction in that thought, he added: “That’s good, but it’s not good enough.”
The speaker was Dr Ashin Nyanissara—better known as Sitagu Sayadaw [abbot]—one of Burma’s most respected monks. He was in Mae Sot in late June to give a dhamma talk on compassion—and to ask the local Burmese community, estimated to be tens of thousands strong, to support relief efforts in the Irrawaddy delta, where millions still struggle in the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis.
Since the cyclone struck on May 2-3, Sitagu Sayadaw has been rallying his followers to come to the assistance of their compatriots in the delta and the former capital, Rangoon, which also suffered substantial damage.
His message was simple: Compassion is important, but it doesn’t amount to much unless it is accompanied by action.
“If you lack compassion, you will be an irresponsible person,” the 71-year-old abbot told his attentive audience, who were seated both inside the monastery’s main building and outside on the ground.
“But compassion in mind and in words alone won’t help the refugees in the cyclone-affected area,” he added. “Such compassion won’t bring food to people in need.”..."

"Weber’s claim that Buddhism is an otherworldly religion is only partially true.
Early sources indicate that the Buddha was sometimes diverted from supramundane
interests to dwell on a variety of politically related matters. The
significance of Asoka Maurya as a paradigm for later traditions of Buddhist
kingship is also well attested. However, there has been little scholarly effort to
integrate findings on the extent to which Buddhism interacted with the political
order in the classical and modern states of Theravada Asia into a wider,
comparative study.
This volume brings together the brightest minds in the study of Buddhism
in Southeast Asia. Their contributions create a more coherent account of the
relations between Buddhism and political order in the late pre-modern and
modern period by questioning the contested relationship between monastic
and secular power. In doing so, they expand the very nature of what is known
as the ‘Theravada’. This book offers new insights for scholars of Buddhism,
and it will stimulate new debates..."

"Sulak Sivaraksa is a prominent Thai social critic and intellectual, and a pioneer in what he calls "socially engaged Buddhism." His ideas have been widely published and in 1995 he was honored with the Right Livelihood Award, also known as the Alternative Nobel Peace Prize. He spoke to The Irrawaddy about the challenges confronting Burma, Thailand and Buddhism, and Americaï¿½s role in the war on terror..."

Keywords: Burmese elephants, Burma.
I. THE ASIAN ELEPHANT:
A. Cultural;
B. Ecological and Conservation Issues;
C. Conservation Measures...
II. BUDDHISM AND DEEP ECOLOGY:
A. Need for Spiritual Approach;
B. Buddhism;
C. Deep Ecology;
D. Wildlife (poaching);
E. Forest Protection (D and E are considered the two major elephant threats)...
III. DHAMMA/ECOLOGY GLOSSARY...
IV. APPENDIX: DHAMMA/DEEP ECOLOGY EXPERIENTIAL EXERCISES...
"
Dr. Henning’s resource guide, which combines Buddhist principles and Asian elephant
conservation in Myanmar, is an innovative approach to Asian elephant conservation. I
have never seen someone with a biological background such as Dr. Henning’s attempt
this approach in such a clear, concise manner. I found the resource guide to be an
excellent potential teaching tool not only for Myanmar but also for any Buddhist country
in which elephant conservation is an issue.
I could easily envision this guide as the first in a series of written materials that deals
with such conservation issues, perhaps beyond elephants. I would think that any
individuals or agencies interested in conserving Asian elephants would be interested in
this guide and would want to help make it available to a wider audience."...
"The Asian elephant (Elephas maximus), an endangered species listed in Appendix I of CITIES, is
thought to number between 34,000 to 56,000 in thirteen Asian countries. According to U Uga,
there are less than 4,000 elephants in the wild in Myanmar, which has the largest population in
the ASEAN countries (India has a larger population for the continent). The total Asian elephant
population is less than 10 percent of its more glamorous cousin-the African elephant.
The Myanmar elephant is internationally endangered and is regarded as a worldwide flagship
species. Throughout their range states, the wild elephant is severely threatened by habitat
destruction, poaching, and fragmentation into small isolated groups. Many population biologists
believe that nowhere in Asia is there a single wild population large enough to avoid inbreeding
over the long term.
..."

"Welcome to "Buddhism and Human Rights," an Online Conference sponsored by the _Journal of Buddhist Ethics_.
Thank you for choosing to participate in the first electronic conference ever attempted in Buddhist Studies. Those of us at the _Journal of Buddhist Ethics_ are truly excited to be venturing forth into new intellectual territory in an attempt to make important scholarship on Buddhism and Human Rights available to the widest possible audience. We hope you enjoy the conference and feel free to contribute to it in a constructive and productive manner.
Consistent with our previous announcements, participation in the conference is structured on three levels: (1) conference papers, which were prepared in advance and are already posted in the JBE, (2) conference panelists, who have prepared advance statements, also posted in the JBE, and who will facilitate the discussions of the papers, and (3) conference members who "attend" by subscribing, free of charge, and who offer comments, questions, and observations at their discretion.
Because we are exploring uncharted territory, it is rather difficult to anticipate the volume of participant response. As such, all comments, questions, and observations will be monitored. We will post as many of these as we possibly can (screening out any submissions deemed inappropriate for publication by the editors). It is our fond desire that the fine papers prepared for the conference will provoke serious, thoughtful discussion that reflects the deep concerns of the conference's constituents,
while at the same time preserving the spontaneity that hopefully emerges in any conference setting..."

"...At the heart of Buddhist ethics is inter-responsibility, or Bodhicitta; what His Holiness the Dalai Lama calls Universal Responsibility. In the Theravada we speak of Samma-sankappa or Right Thought, which leads to Bodhi, the Awakened Mind. This principle is expressed in everyday terms by the teaching of loving-kindness, non-violence, compassion, and particular responsibilities. For monks and nuns these are set down in the rule or Vinaya; for lay people in the Sigalovada Sutta and for rulers in the Dasarajadhamma.
In the early, organic societies the Buddha was addressing, these specific responsibilities were assumed to be adequate guidelines for human behaviour, with no need to identify the corresponding rights. In modern, fragmented societies, however, where the fulfillment of responsibilities cannot be guaranteed by the immediate community, the corresponding rights are specified and protected by States and International Organisations. In large part these bodies derive their legitimacy from their protection of human rights. A State which does not guarantee the enjoyment of human rights by its people loses its claim to legitimacy..."

"American born Philip Kapleau has been a Buddhist monk
for 25 years. In 1966, upon his return to America from
Japan, where he had trained for 13 years, he finally renounced what he calls, âmy reluctant cannibalism,â the
eating of every kind of flesh food.
âWhile in Japan,â he says, âI wrestled with my conscience, trying to reconcile the first Buddhist vow to refrain from taking life with my obvious complicity in the
slaughter of innocent creatures whose flesh I consumed.
I pretended to love animals while at the same time regularly eating them..."

"The Rajadhammasangaha" was presented to King Thibaw in December 1878. The first printing was c.1915. This translation by L.E.Bagshawe is from the version edited with a biographical preface by Maung Htin (U Htin Fatt) and published by the Sape U Publishing House in 1979...
"On the seventh waxing day of Nadaw...the Wetmasut Myoza Wungyi finished the writing of his book Rajadhammasangaha and presented it to King Thibaw. The author describes it pleasantly as âa book of the proper behaviour for Kings and other high officers of governmentâ. The Pagan Wundauk U Tin, however, says âit is a book of admonishment addressed to King Thibaw.â And in this he speaks the direct truth. In this book the Wetmasut Myoza Wungyi documents the proposals for changes in the system of government that were planned from the time of King Mindon. His intention in writing the book, he says, is, âIn bygone times of the Buddha-to-be there were good and excellent Kings who guarded the well-being of all living creatures; like them may our own King, Lord of the Saddanta Elephant and Lawful King, under the Law guard the well-being of all living creatures like that of his own beloved children.â
This expressed intention has a further meaning. Under an autocracy we cannot really say that the monarch rules with the single-minded wish to rule all living creatures on the same terms as his own children. If he is brought to the point where he must consult the "living creatures", we may be able to say that he regards them on equal terms with his own children. If there is no law requiring consultation, his guardianship becomes dubious..."

Author/creator:

By the Yaw Mingyi U Hpo Hlaing (the Wetmasut Myoza Wungyi). Edited with biographical preface by Maung Htin (U Htin Fatt) and translated from the Burmese by L.E. Bagshawe

Conclusion: "In the foregoing pages we have tried to show that Buddhism stands for the oneness of the
human species, the equality of man, and the spiritual unity of mankind. The differences among
the so-called races as far as their physical characteristics go are negligible. The differences in
cultural attainment are due to historical circumstances and not to any innate aptitudes with
which some of the ”cultured” races, whether of the East or West, are favoured by nature or God.
All men likewise, irrespective of their race, caste or class, have the capacity to reach the heights
of moral and spiritual attainment.
Man’s destiny is to develop as a spiritual being and therefore what really matters is the
degree of his moral and spiritual development. This has no connection with birth in any
particular race or caste since the ”meanest”, “humblest” of mankind may have the potentialities
for attaining the very highest in this respect in this life, so that we have no right to despise any
person whatever his station in life may be. The harbouring of racial and caste prejudice is
moreover detrimental to one’s mental health and spiritual state and it is a characteristic of the
spiritually enlightened that they shed them and act with love and impartiality towards all. Race
and caste discrimination are also inimical to social progress since they bring about artificial and
unreal divisions among human beings where none exist and hinder harmonious relations...."

"...
"Right Livelihood" is one of the requirements of the Buddha’s Noble Eightfold Path. It is clear, therefore, that there must be such a thing as Buddhist economics.
Buddhist countries have often stated that they wish to remain faithful to their heritage. So Burma: “The New Burma sees no conflict between religious values and economic progress. Spiritual health and material well-being are not enemies: they are natural allies.” 1 Or: “We can blend successfully the religious and spiritual values of our heritage with the benefits of modern technology.” 2 Or: “We Burmans have a sacred duty to conform both our dreams and our acts to our faith. This we shall ever do.” 3
All the same, such countries invariably assume that they can model their economic development plans in accordance with modern economics, and they call upon modern economists from so-called advanced countries to advise them, to formulate the policies to be pursued, and to construct the grand design for development, the Five-Year Plan or whatever it may be called. No one seems to think that a Buddhist way of life would call for Buddhist economics, just as the modern materialist way of life has brought forth modern economics.
Economists themselves, like most specialists, normally suffer from a kind of metaphysical blindness, assuming that theirs is a science of absolute and invariable truths, without any presuppositions. Some go as far as to claim that economic laws are as free from "metaphysics" or "values" as the law of gravitation. We need not, however, get involved in arguments of methodology. Instead, let us take some fundamentals and see what they look like when viewed by a modern economist and a Buddhist economist..."

The basic framework of Buddhist ethics for rulers is set out in the "Ten Duties of the King" (dasa-raja-dhamma)...
"We cannot assign a definite date to the Jataka stories. Taking into account archaeological and literary evidence it appears that they were compiled in the period, the 3rd Century B.C. to the 5th Century A.D. They give us invaluable information about ancient Indian civilization, culture and philosophy. The Jataka stories have been very popular in the Buddhist world."

(Compiled and Translated by U.Dhamminda)_Namo tassa bhagavato arahato sammÄsambuddhassa_
INTRODUCTION: The method of practising meditation that is taught at Pa Auk Tawya Monastery is based on the explanation of meditation found in the Visuddhimagga commentary. Because of that the method involves several stages of practise which are complex, and involved. These stages include a detailed analysis of both mentality and matter according to all the categories enumerated in the Abhidhamma and the further use of this understanding to discern the process of Dependent Origination as it occurs in the Past, Present, and Future.
Therefore people who are unfamiliar with the Visuddhimagga and the Abhidhamma will have difficulty in understanding and developing a clear picture of the practice of meditation at Pa Auk Tawya. For foreigners who cannot speak Burmese this problem is made even more difficult.
This introduction has been written to help alleviate these difficulties by presenting a simplified example of a successful meditator’s path of progress as he develops his meditation at Pa Auk Tawya. This we hope will enable you to understand a little better the more detailed sections of the book which are the actual instructions for those who are practising meditation.
It also must be stressed from the beginning that this book is intended for use by people who are actually undergoing a course of meditation at the centre under the guidance of Pa Auk Sayadaw....."